


New Beginnings

by soapficgal



Category: All My Children
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 21:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5718343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soapficgal/pseuds/soapficgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aidan is out on assignment when Kendall comes looking for him to share important news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  
  
The overwhelming heat was enough to make Aidan wonder what in the world had prompted him to take this ridiculous assignment in the first place. While he’d wanted to question his logic and reasoning for taking this out of town assignment, the sad reality was he’d accepted it hoping that he would be able to have a slice of tropical paradise with Greenlee at his side. He’d planned it down to the last detail in the hopes that he could share this tiny slice of paradise with her, but that in itself turned out be nothing more than wishful thinking at best. Even now as he wiped the sweat from his brow after lowering his binoculars, he couldn’t help but find himself wondering just what it was that had lead him to believe that things could simply fall into place after Greenlee had learned the truth about him and Kendall. Yes, he’d tried to keep from breaking Greenlee’s heart, but in the end no matter what he said or did, he couldn’t shake the ache that filled him inside at the thought of failing Greenlee. He’d hated himself and continually despised the way in which he’d gone from being Greenlee’s white knight to being the man who had destroyed her.  
  
Even now as his gaze swept over the sandy beaches, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to share this all with her. They should have been in this place together soaking up the sun and getting into trouble while trying to solve the mystery that was in front of him. Of course while it wasn’t nearly as exciting as some of the other things he and Greenlee had gotten into, it would have been nice to get away from Pine Valley for a while and find a little peace. Of course as Aidan reached into his pocket, he felt the page beneath his finger alerting him that day would never come.  
  
Pulling the envelope out of his pocket, Aidan forced himself to return to the endless torture that haunted him night after night once he and Greenlee had parted ways. Even after all this time it still hurt like hell that they hadn’t been able to make it work. He’d wanted to share a life with her--to find the kind of happiness that had been just out of his reach time and time again, yet in the end all that they were able to draw from the experience was a new set of ways to break one another’s heart to pieces. He squeezed the paper in his hand ready to push it back into his pocket as Greenlee’s words swirled in his mind.  
  
“We’ve changed Aidan. I’m a different person now and so are you,” Aidan could hear her saying to him in their final moments with one another. While he’d wanted to keep denying that simple truth, it was clear that after Greenlee had almost died in the hospital there was a change between them. She’d emerged from her near death experience stronger than before, yet it was painfully clear that things were different--they were different. Just when Aidan believed that his pact with Kendall to keep their night together buried would eat him alive, he found that his world shattered beyond repair.  
  
“Focus on the job,” Aidan grumbled under his breath refusing to let his thoughts linger to the rest of the Dear John letter that Greenlee had taken the time to put together for him. Sure, he’d screwed up and it was something he was always going to have to live with, but right now he had to find a way to catch Antonio Thorn in the act of sinking all of his companies finances on romancing some hot blonde who’d recently entered his life. It wasn’t anything that would change the world, but it was a way to escape all the trouble that would be waiting for him back in Pine Valley.  
  
Of course at this stage of the game, Aidan realized with a frown, what was really in Pine Valley for him? It had been nearly two months since Greenlee left town and after he’d broken her heart, he’d found himself on the hit list from everyone from Zach to Ryan. If he had to hear one more time about how awful he was when he knew in his heart that he’d made a mistake, he knew that he would finally just relent and go off the deep end. Then again maybe that was the price to pay for breaking Greenlee’s heart. Heaven knew that he’d tried to make it work for them, but then when he’d least expected it something completely out of the blue had happened and changed everything.  
  
“Kendall,” he mouthed to himself knowing only too well that somehow it always seemed to go back to the one woman he’d fought like hell to escape from, yet when he was faced with the reality in his heart, he knew it was a futile fight. Even Greenlee knew that and she’d had no qualms about attempting to explain that to him in her good-bye letter.  
  
“You might think that Kendall can make you happy, but she can’t,” Aidan could almost hear the words that Greenlee had written on the page. “She doesn’t love you Aidan. She never could and she never will. You gave up on everything that we had for a woman who will only fill your head with empty promises and bitter lies. Trust me from someone who knows. She’s going to break your heart.”  
  
“This is ridiculous,” Aidan mouthed to himself pushing up from the sand. He started to dust himself off realizing that without a shadow of a doubt he wasn’t about to get anything accomplished if he spent his time thinking about the mistakes he’d made. Yes, clearly he and Greenlee were over and what made matters worse was that despite all he’d told himself about Kendall, that wasn’t about to leave him either.  
  
Damn it. He’d wanted her. He’d needed her and when they’d fallen into one another’s arms, he’d tried to write it off as a fleeting moment that never should have happened, yet when he’d held her--when he’d experienced what it was like to have her in his arms again, he knew that he was a goner. There would be no turning back regardless of how painful the situation would be in the long run. He’d vowed to keep from loving her--to keep from longing for her in his life again. Kendall was a phase in his life that he’d worked long and hard to evolve beyond, yet in those moments of togetherness he knew that in all those times he’d spent condemning her that he’d only been torturing himself.  
  
“She doesn’t love you Aidan!” he cursed under his breath trying to banish every last ounce of emotion that he’d felt for Kendall. He knew better than to believe that they had a chance. He’d been smarter than that in the past. She had a life and a family with Zach and he had…his work.  
  
“And what a fine job you’re doing at it,” Aidan frowned attempting to focus on his assignment once again. He turned towards the bungalow where Antonio was staying, but found that the rental car was already gone much to his dismay.  
  
While he’d spent all day waiting for the shady business man to emerge from his pleasure palace with his latest fling, Aidan had missed it all because he’d been pondering all the ways in which he’d screwed up his life in Pine Valley. Sure, he could have come to terms with that long before he’d hopped on the first flight out here, but in the long run Aidan knew in his heart that geography wasn’t going to change what was going on inside of him. He wasn’t going to forget his mistakes because they would always follow him regardless of where he was. He’d tried to make up for them, yet all he’d done in his attempt at reconciliation with those around him was cause an even greater mess.  
  
“I need to get out of this sun,” Aidan decided with a heavy breath before bending down and preparing to pack up his towel and cooler that he’d had with him during his day of laying out in the sun. Even now he couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like to be spending the day lounging around or even finding a secluded spot on the beach to share some quality time with the woman he loved.  
  
“Make love to me Aidan,” he could almost hear her voice calling out to him, asking him to be with her once more even though he swore that he would never fall into that again. There before his eyes he could see a vision of Kendall sprawled out across the sand smiling up at him with that same flirty, sensual tone that caused his heart to race. He could hear the laughter in her tone, the way that her eyes sparkled when she spoke to him and the thought of what it felt like to hold her was enough to drive him to madness. He could almost see her now in a sexy bikini reminding him all over again why he’d never truly gotten over the way she’d made him feel inside. She was beautiful and unpredictable and yet she was everything he’d ever dreamt about in his life. She was everything he wanted and…  
  
“Stop this!” he closed his eyes tightly trying to banish the thought of Kendall from his head. He was going out of his mind. There was no doubt about just how far he’d slipped from that man who would constantly fight to do the right thing. He’d wanted to back away from the situation and do the honorable thing, yet each and every time he closed his eyes it was Kendall’s lips he dreamt of kissing, Kendall’s arms that he longed to have hold him and Kendall’s promises of forever that he craved more than anything, which surely proved he was a fool.  
  
“That’s it,” Aidan announced scooping up the rest of his things and marching back to his own bungalow ready to put the day behind him. It was a waste anyways, he rationalized knowing only too well that he would have to start over again in the morning. That was as long as he could stay focused on the job and ignore the unrelenting thoughts that carried over him.  
  
Frowning he decided that maybe he would just take a shower and call it a night. He could phone Tad and give him an update on the situation. Of course that would lead to Aidan asking about Kendall. He’d probably say something that would get Tad going on a conversation about how Aidan would be much better off without traveling down that road again. Aidan would probably half heartedly agree and then spend the rest of the night dreaming about the woman he simply couldn’t have. That in itself prompted him to forget about calling Tad and opt for a shower, then a trip to the bar. That might be more therapeutic.  
  
“I could use a drink right about now,” Aidan decided moving forward with thoughts of putting the past behind him for a while when he noticed that the front door to his bungalow was open.  
  
He hesitated feeling his instincts go into overdrive as he recalled stepping out earlier and making sure the door was locked. Suddenly Aidan thought about the case at hand and found himself wondering if perhaps someone was onto him and his arrival in town. He stiffened before bending down and lowering the towel and the cooler that he’d carried up from the beach with him. Silently he crouched down and opened up the top of the cooler to extract the gun that he’d carried along with him just in case. It was nothing more than a precaution, but as Aidan heard shuffling along inside, he found himself wondering just what was waiting for him on the other side of the door.  
  
“Here goes nothing,” Aidan whispered under his breath carefully pushing the door open. He slowly stepped inside only to discover nothing but the room that he’d left a short while ago. He hesitated listening for another moment or two, but again he was met by a silence. It was as if his place had gone untouched by anyone other than himself. He’d been certain that he’d locked the door, but now that he had found it open, he couldn’t be so convinced.  
  
“Maybe you were ahead of yourself,” Aidan muttered under his breath ready to put his gun away when a sound erupted from the other side of the room. His eyes tapered off towards the bathroom area where a crashing sound filled the room.  
  
“Damn it,” Aidan cursed under his breath knowing only too well that he wasn’t alone. He clenched onto his gun and moved swiftly to the bathroom ready to deal with his uninvited guest. He stepped forward taking note of the glass that was crunching beneath his toes. He looked down only to discover that a light bulb had fallen from the fixture above only further heightening his awareness of the situation taking place around him. Someone was certainly there and if they’d hoped to go unnoticed, they were about to be in for the surprise of their life.  
  
Aidan listened only to hear the sound of footsteps and after taking in a small breath, he rushed forward pushing the door open to the bathroom while pointing his gun at the direction the intruder was in.  
  
“Freeze!” Aidan ordered ready to deal with his uninvited guest only to discover the last person he’d expected to see in before him. His eyes widened in shock before he took in a confused breath, “Kendall?”  
  
“Aidan,” she gasped bringing her hand up against her chest before her eyes narrowed down at the gun he was aiming at her, “Look I know you were angry with me when you left town, but don’t you think that this is going a bit too far? Shooting me isn‘t going to help anything.”  
  
“Kendall, I’m not going to shoot you,” he frowned at the insinuation.  
  
“Your pointing that thing at me isn’t convincing me otherwise,” she huffed tossing her hair behind her shoulders impatiently.  
  
“You know that I would never… Forget about that. Kendall, what are you doing here?” Aidan blinked back at her surprised to see her standing before him clad only in a towel beside the sink. Her lips were curled in a pout and it was clear by the expression on her face that she was just as surprised to see him as he was her.  
  
“They said that you were staying in here, but that you’d be out for the day,” Kendall rationalized with a huff while standing up taller, “I figured that since you weren’t here that I could take a shower and then be relaxed when you returned so that we could talk.”  
  
“You flew all the way out here to talk to me?” he arched a curious brow, unable to refrain from giving her a once over. She’d noticed the way his eyes swept over her and with a huff, she wrapped her arms around her chest stubbornly.  
  
“That’s right,” she nodded again, “and if you’d get that gun out of my face, then maybe I can get dressed and we can get back to what I came here to tell you.”  
  
“Look Kendall I…” Aidan waved his hand around in the air, “I just don’t think you should be here right now.”  
  
“Aidan the gun,” she cleared her throat uneasily.  
  
“Oh right,” he gulped wondering if he’d officially lost his mind in conjuring up another vision of Kendall. Only this time she didn’t fade away like she had when he’d been on the beach or on the flight over. This time she was standing in front of him in the middle of his bathroom with glass on the floor surrounding her. Frowning he motioned to the mess, “What happened here?”  
  
“First the bulb almost nailed me in the hallway and then the perfume bottle fell out of my bag when I was looking for my shampoo,” she explained drawing in a nervous breath. “I was trying to clean up the mess when you came in here playing Dirty Harry and…”  
  
“That’s not what I was doing,” he corrected carefully putting his gun away before motioning to the glass again. “It’s just when I heard that I thought that maybe someone broke in and…”  
  
“And what?” she arched a curious brow.  
  
“I don’t know,” he pushed his hands into his pockets nervously in an attempt to keep from reaching out to touch her, “I thought that maybe someone knew I was here working on a case or that maybe…”  
  
“What?” she noticed the way his words faded away. An uneasiness passed between them before she spoke up in understanding, “That Zach sent someone out here to find you?”  
  
“He would if he knew you were here,” Aidan pointed out with a frown realizing that things weren’t adding up in her arrival. “Speaking of which, how is it that you’re here Kendall?”  
  
“I told you that we needed to talk,” Kendall informed him stubbornly, “and just because you felt the need to run away from Pine Valley doesn’t mean that you can just stop me from doing the right thing. Aidan, I told you when we spoke the last time that you and I needed to sit down and…”  
  
“And what?” he questioned throwing his hands in the air. “Find a way to destroy everyone we care about all over again? Kendall, I’ve already apologized for my part in ruining your life and Greenlee’s. I don’t think there’s anything more to say about the subject.”  
  
“There’s plenty to say Aidan especially when…” Kendall’s face scrunched up with heavy agitation, “You just shouldn’t walk away like that.”  
  
“I was trying to do what was best. You and Zach need time to heal and Greenlee, well she left,” Aidan reminded her with a painful expression. “She told me that she hated me and I can’t say I blame her. I can’t say I didn’t anticipate it, but…”  
  
“Greenlee should have stayed around,” Kendall offered up with a poignant sigh. “She should have tried to make it work with you.”  
  
“Why? Because I was so forthcoming with her about what happened with us?” he tossed back at her flippantly feeling his own frustrations mounting over everything that had happened.  
  
“Greenlee isn’t exactly a saint either the last time I checked Aidan. You thought she was dead,” Kendall blurted out sensing the overwhelming guilt that he was still using as a tool to destroy himself.  
  
“That still didn’t make it right. Tell me, does Zach understand?” Aidan questioned seeing her recoil from his words. He immediately regretted his tone and took a step away from her. “Look, I’m sorry Kendall. I don’t mean to fight with you, but I don’t understand why you’re here. I left Pine Valley to be alone, but…”  
  
“Aidan, I’m here because I need to tell you something. I need to talk with you about what’s happened because it’s the right thing to do,” she carefully stepped around the glass on the floor before reaching out to touch his shoulder. “Believe me I’m not very good at doing this kind of thing, but…”  
  
“But what?” he couldn’t help but ask feeling the nearness of her causing his thoughts to return to all the stolen moments that he’d fought to banish from his head and his heart.  
  
“But I couldn’t ignore any of this Aidan,” Kendall blinked up at him, her lips curling in a way that reminded Aidan of just how many times he’d longed to kiss her--of how he’d longed to take her into his arms and never let go.  
  
“Kendall I…” Aidan couldn’t help but lean in closer to her, knowing in his heart that his desire for her would betray his logic, but still as she stood before him reminding him all over again of the ways in which he’d relinquish all control in his life just to share a few more moments with her, he knew that he was lost.  
  
“I just wish that you hadn’t rushed away,” she whispered, the warmth of her breath sweeping in over his lips. He closed his eyes taking in a shivering inhale as he could feel her near him. He could almost taste her kiss over his own, but before he drown himself in the overwhelming hunger he’d felt for her, he felt a vibration in his pocket bringing him crashing back to reality.  
  
“I have to get this,” Aidan pushed out breaking away from her in an attempt to keep from letting her arrival cloud his thoughts. He reached into his pocket and extracted the phone only to discover it was Tad. Knowing that this would undoubtedly be his one and only escape from madness, he moved towards the door. “We can talk after you get dressed. You can tell me what you wanted after the call.”  
  
“Sure,” Kendall nodded still clearly shaken by whatever had prompted her to seek him out in the first place. Aidan couldn’t help but linger for a moment, taking the time to memorize everything it was that he loved about her before he stepped out of the bathroom. He closed the door behind his exit and leaned back knowing only too well that whatever it was that had brought Kendall out in search of him, it was clearly going to be the one thing that would do him in if he wasn’t careful. As the ringing on his phone stopped, Aidan knew more than anything he had to find a way to make Kendall go away even if it meant ignoring his heart and pushing her out of his life once and for all.


	2. Chapter 2

Kendall wiped at the thick layer of steam on the mirror in front of her. While she’d wanted to quickly finish up and go speak with Aidan after he’d walked out of the bathroom, she knew better than to rush this. Hell, the fact that she’d flown all the way out here to see him was just oozing with the same kind of reckless impulsiveness that had always landed her in over her head to begin with in the past, yet she knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer. Just being in the middle of this tropical paradise with Aidan reminded her all over again of why she knew that she had to do this. Yes, she was stalling, but damn it she should have time to recollect herself after her encounter with Aidan.

“What was he thinking rushing in here with a gun?” she frowned back at her reflection once again before running her fingers through her damp hair. She let out an ironic laugh before speaking up again, “It could be because you rushed in here without any warning ready to…”

She stopped herself contemplating just what it was that she was really going to say to him now that she’d burst into his temporary home away from home. Sure, she knew that he was on a case. She’d done a little detective work of her own to snag the truth out of Tad about where Aidan had gone. Ok, so maybe she’d bypassed Tad and broke into his office in the hopes of discovering just what had happened to Aidan, but no one could really blame her for that. Not when what she had to say to him was so very important especially now. She had to do this.

Closing her eyes Kendall thought about the long flight over to get to where she was. She’d found herself struggling with her words on the flight. She’d thought about writing them down, but then again each time she did that it only caused more chaos. Had her words gotten into the wrong hands, then there was no telling how skewed the situation would be. Then again she’d even pulled out a pen and the tiny pad of paper she’d kept in her purse for emergencies with the hopes of just blurting it all out on the page, but she’d chickened out. Yes, she’d tried to be strong, but the truth was that she was terrified. Here she was standing in the middle of Aidan’s bathroom ready to be brave and do the right thing, but instead she was more fearful than she could remember being in a long time.

Aidan was her friend once. He was her lover in the past. He was that special someone who always stood by her regardless of what kind of sins she had in her past. He never judged her--never tried to force her to pretend that she was something she wasn’t, yet when the thought of facing him really weighed upon her, she knew that it was going to be one of the most difficult challenges of her life. She’d vowed to make things right. She’d sworn to Bianca that this time she wasn’t going to beat around the bush once she set foot on this island. She broke down and confessed all that she’d been holding inside of her since Aidan skipped town after Greenlee unleashed her fury on Aidan.

“Greenlee,” Kendall frowned thinking about her on and off again pal. While Kendall had hated the idea of hurting Greenlee, she’d always hoped that things would be different. She’d always wanted Greenlee to understand that in a moment of desperation things transpired and they couldn’t be erased. Yes, she’d realized that Greenlee would feel betrayed, but it wasn’t as if anyone had planned on what had taken place. It wasn’t as if Kendall and Aidan hadn’t tried to fix the situation. Neither one of them wanted to hurt Greenlee or Zach for that matter. Yet, this wasn’t about then.

“This was about now,” Kendall reminded herself drawing in a breath and finding the strength inside of her to get through what would undoubtedly be one of the hardest conversations of her life. Placing her hand on her abdomen, Kendall fought to still the butterflies inside of her. Even now she could feel something inside of her that longed to delve into the what if with Aidan. When he’d approached her, he was shocked and stunned to see her, yet there was something welcoming behind his eyes. There was a softness in his tone that caused her breath to catch in her throat, something about the way he’d gravitated towards her as if it was their only option to reach out and be near one another that made her pulse quicken. There was something about him being so close, yet so far away that had Kendall wishing like crazy that she could just be blunt and honest about her reasoning behind her arrival.

It wasn’t like she had any problems telling it like it was, she rationalized as she started to get dressed. She had no problems just blurting out the truth even if it wound up getting her into trouble. Sure, there was a time when she’d been manipulative and deceptive and yes, ultimately it served as a hard lesson to learn when her world came crashing down around her through the years. She’d been her own worst enemy time and time again, but with the new year she’d promised to offer up new resolutions in her life. She wanted to change. She wanted to become a better person even if it meant putting it all out on the line and risking the potential outcome. Of course she’d never be a good girl like Bianca was. She wasn’t looking for that. She’d grown up. She’d evolved over the years and there was still room for growth. She wasn’t hoping to become the one to always be on the up and up, but she was seeking out clarity--the kind that would only bring her to peace in this visit with Aidan. Although if she kept hiding out in his bathroom, she was quite certain that wasn’t going to happen.

“You can do this,” Kendall finally decided taking another look at her reflection in the mirror. She placed her hand over her abdomen to steady herself before facing the door leading out to where Aidan had gone. Yes, this was going to be a giant step towards life as she knew it ending, but she could do this. She could just take the leap and hope that once everything was said and done that she would have Aidan as a safety net to fall to. There was a strong possibility that he would shun her and be angry with her for destroying his life, but she couldn’t keep hiding from the truth. She couldn’t keep lying to herself any longer.

“Just be honest Kendall,” Zach had lashed out at her one of the last times they’d spoken to one another. When he’d said it, she’d been hurting. She was upset and desperately clinging to hope that they would find a way to repair the damage that had been done between them, yet she knew better. She’d known for a while that in some cases love simply wasn’t enough. She’d wanted to believe that there was something more, but Zach did what he always had done in getting her to see herself. He wasn’t as angry as he’d once been about the situation, but more than anything he’d forced herself to face what she’d been pushing away since that fateful night with Aidan at the cabin. She’d thought he would hate her. Thought that Zach would want to see her burn for her actions, but instead he’d surprised her with the way he’d dealt with the situation. She’d surprised herself as well. Now there was no turning back.

“You can do this,” Kendall whispered an encouraging breath to herself. Approaching the door she felt a moment of fear consume her until she refused to lose herself to it. She pulled open the door ready to face whatever would arise once she walked out of the past and into the future that she’d openly brought upon herself. She could do this.

“Aidan,” Kendall spoke his name half expecting to find him waiting for her at the door, but instead she found the room in front of her empty much to her dismay. A frown touched over the corners of her lips. She began to walk around the room wondering if Aidan had gotten fed up with her unannounced arrival and left before they could say anything more to one another. Panic swept over her at the very thought until she heard a noise from behind her.

Turning towards the sound, Kendall spotted the swinging back door to the bungalow leading out towards the beach. The broken hinge caused the door to sway in a hard, slamming motion much like the pounding of her heart. She wondered if Aidan had truly walked away or if she would find him outside angry with her and ready to lash out at her for how their time together had caused him to lose Greenlee. She knew that he’d been broken by Greenlee’s retreat. He was miserable and aching and like a coward she hadn’t made any attempts to check in on him. He’d lost everything in Pine Valley, yet she’d forced herself to stay away. She’d thought that was what he’d wanted and after a few awkward exchanges between them, she’d wanted to honor that. She’d wanted for him to find happiness--to have the love he so richly deserved, but Greenlee hadn’t been able to handle the price that came associated with Aidan’s heart.

In a perfect world Kendall knew he wouldn’t have thought twice about stepping out on Greenlee especially if they‘d believed she and Zach were alive. That he wouldn’t have moved towards making love to Kendall, yet it happened. There was no escaping all that had transpired between them. Even now as she closed her eyes she remembered that night as it was only mere moments ago. She was so lost--so desperate and yet when Aidan had held her in his arms, she knew that things would finally be alright. When he’d whispered those words that she’d fought to forget, she realized that things had changed. The situation had changed them and there would be no escaping it. When she’d found herself remembering his lips, his embrace, and the warmth of him that he’d carried with him during those few precious moments of comfort that they’d sought out in one another, she knew that they’d been deceiving themselves to write it off as a mistake. A mistake wouldn’t have made them both feel the way that they did. A mistake wouldn’t have created such a…

“Kendall,” she heard Aidan’s voice beckon her from her thoughts. Without realizing it, she’d found her way out onto the back porch only to discover him standing near the railing, with his fingers clenched tightly against the top of it. She knew even with his back turned to her that he was in deep thought. It was clear from his posture. Undoubtedly he would have a strained expression on his face as he was without question working to control the obvious turmoil that he was experiencing upon her arrival. A part of her wanted to reach out to him and place her hand over his shoulder offering up a light squeeze, but another side of her knew this wasn’t the time.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned in a soft tone, so quiet that Kendall wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or to himself. The raw ache in his tone went beyond anything she’d ever witnessed in him before and she couldn’t help but long to make things right. She took an uneasy step towards him before speaking up at long last.

“I had to see you. I know that we weren’t exactly on speaking terms in Pine Valley, but…” she offered up fidgeting behind him.

“But what?” he forced himself to face her, his eyes divided with a mixture of emotions that Kendall couldn’t quite recognize. In all her years of knowing Aidan she’d thought she could read him like he could read her. She’d thought he was an open book, but now he had a poker face on and he was struggling to shut her out. She could see that and it was something that would undoubtedly cause her to allow the walls to built up in her own defense again if she wasn’t careful.

“Look, I know that maybe this isn’t the best of times, but…” she started again struggling to hold onto the strength that she’d carried with her on the flight over from Pine Valley. She caught another wounded expression on his face. Yes, he was certainly preparing to shut her down. He was about to say something that they both would regret. She knew that look only too well. She’d mastered the art of dishing it out through the years, yet for Aidan to try to use it on her, well that was something that simply wouldn’t do.

“Kendall, I don’t know why you’re here, but given our transgressions with one another, I think it’s best that you get back to Pine Valley as soon as possible,” he explained curtly leaving no room for argument in his tone. “You need to get home and…”

“And you need to stop parenting me Aidan Devane,” she shot back at him icily. She folded her arms in front of her chest preparing to take the defensive stance against his tone. Her eyes met his and she took in a long, slow breath before preparing for battle. “I’m not going to let you bully me into leaving. If you have a problem with my being here, then tough you’ll have to deal with it.”

*******

“Deal with it?” Aidan blinked back at her, surprise registering behind his eyes at her tone. While he wasn’t quite sure what Kendall’s agenda was when he’d first spotted her in his bathroom, one thing was now clear. She wasn’t about to let him say what it was he’d set out to say to her when he’d walked out of the room they were in with one another.

Closing his eyes momentarily he thought about the speech he’d prepared while she was getting dressed. He’d thought it out long and hard, careful to keep things simple and to the point. He would just tell her that whatever it was she had to say he wasn’t interested. He would give her the song and dance about how he’d agreed with their initial assessment of not being near one another to make life easier. Heaven knew that wasn’t the case for him, but Kendall had far more to worry about. She had a husband and a family back home that needed her. Why she was here now was beyond Aidan, but he wasn’t about to stick around to find out. He needed to make her leave before she saw just how far he’d fallen. He needed her to walk away before she realized what a pitiful mess over her he truly was.

“That’s right,” Kendall remarked defiantly, “If you think that I am just going to get back on a plane after having to endure a ride in coach next to some obnoxious woman who felt the need to share every last detail of her lint collection and her slew of cats with me, then you’re mistaken. It was bad enough that I lost my luggage once the plane landed other than all I had with my carry on. Then to add insult to injury I got lost on the way over here and I’m exhausted. I had a very hard week Aidan and there’s no way I’m going anywhere especially now. I’m staying.”

“Kendall, listen to me. You can’t stay,” he frowned down at her before tipping his head ever so slightly, “Speaking of which, how did you get here in the first place?”

“I told you it wasn’t a picnic,” she informed him with a huff. “It was miserable, but that was the only commercial flight I could take other than on a cargo plane, which I wasn’t even about to tempt fate in trying because…”

“I got that part, but I’m talking about being here,” he motioned to their surroundings. “How is it that you wound up out here of all places?”

“Duh, I was looking for you,” she rolled her eyes at his comment. “I thought we already established that.”

“Of course, but how did you find me?” he couldn’t help but ask curiosity carrying over him.

“Think about it Aidan. I’m very resourceful,” she forced a cryptic smirk. “You should know that I can do anything that I set my mind on doing.”

“That’s beside the point,” he replied dismissively, fighting to ignore the way that her face lit up when she was sure of herself. He watched the way that the wind swept over her soft skin and as a loose strand of hair blew with the tropical breeze, he longed to reach over and tuck it behind her ear. Then again he wouldn’t mind playing with it either as his thumb pressed in against her cheek and his lips traced over her soft skin. He’d gladly pull her into an embrace and then whisper all the words that his heart longed to say to her if he knew that it wouldn’t be the end of him. He’d wanted her beside him for so long yet…reality was returning to him. He stiffened and cleared his throat. “How did you get in here?”

“I told the man at the front desk that I was your wife,” she admitted honestly remembering the story that she’d sold rather convincingly to the man she’d first encountered. “He was hesitant to give me a key at first, but then I told him that it was our first wedding anniversary and that you’d planned this romantic vacation for us because we’d never taken the time for a honeymoon in the first place. He wasn’t convinced at that point, but then I told him how I’d been kept back in the states because of a project that work had for me and how I’d wanted to surprise you by putting together something wonderful for you when you returned. He was reluctant, but after a while I had him eating out of the palm of my hand. He even offered up a bottle of his finest champagne for us with well wishes for our anniversary.”

“Wonderful,” Aidan groaned before shaking his head. “You never quit, do you?”

“No, that’s more your style. I mean that’s the theme for men in Pine Valley, right? They find themselves in a jam and they run away,” she shot back at him with a wounded expression. “Tell me Aidan, would it really have been so horrible to try to stick around town?”

“I’m on a job Kendall,” he reminded her simply, “which is another reason why you shouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t buy that,” she shook her head in refusal to accept his answer. “That’s not why you’re here.”

“Of course it is,” he lied drawing in a breath as he watched her move in closer to him. He felt the moment stand still as she met his eyes again meeting his bluff.

“No it isn’t. You left because you were afraid to face what staying in town would mean after Greenlee left. You were terrified at what that would mean now that she’s no longer a part of your life. Face it Aidan. That’s why you’re here right now,” she tossed out at him boldly daring him to deny the accusation.

“I hurt Greenlee and I hate what I’ve become,” he confessed with a raw honesty. “I never, ever intended to complicate things as I have.”

“Complications are a part of life,” she replied as he reached out to the railing again to prevent himself from reaching out to hold her. “Isn’t that what makes things interesting?”

“Interesting?” he arched a curious brow surprised at her tone. “Kendall, something tells me that neither you nor I can afford the luxury of having complications becoming a subject of interest. You shouldn’t be here. If Zach knew that you were here right now, then…”

“Aidan, I need to speak with you,” she repeated feeling like a broken record all over again.

“What more is there to say?” Aidan questioned with a heavy sigh.

“Plenty,” she opened her mouth to speak when the sound of footsteps captured his attention. He turned around to find the manager of the establishment approaching the both of them.

“I see you found him,” the man grinned widely at Kendall clearly oblivious to the tension between her and Aidan. “I thought he would be out all day again.”

“You thought wrong,” Kendall took the opportunity to step forward and slide her arm around Aidan’s waist much to his dismay. “Although we were so hoping to have some alone time with one another being that it’s our anniversary and all.”

“Of course,” the man smiled at Kendall for a moment. After a moment he nodded towards Aidan, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but can I have a minute with you?”

“Sure,” Aidan replied ready to find any excuse to walk away from Kendall now that he found himself more confused than ever by her arrival.

While he’d been dreaming about her since he’d left town, he hadn’t anticipated seeing her again especially not with this air of tension and confusion associated with it. It puzzled him that she’d flown down to see him, yet she hadn’t really offered up any other reasoning as to why she was there other than they needed to talk, which clearly wasn’t going anywhere for them. Still as he turned around to face her, she’d made her way towards the inside of the bungalow once again.

“I’ll see you inside in a few minutes darling,” she blew a kiss in Aidan’s general direction causing his heart to flutter even though he knew it was for show. There was something about the flirty wink that was associated with it that had Aidan thinking all the wrong things at the wrong time about the wrong woman. Ok, so maybe she was the right woman for him, but he’d never be the man for her. He knew that and just indulging the idea of anything between them would only cause him more pain in the end.

“You’re a lucky man,” the manager blurted out with obvious appreciation for Kendall. “When she first came into the offices earlier, I knew that she was the real deal. She’s not only a looker, but she’s a spitfire that’s for sure. She had the office in an uproar demanding that we show her where you were, but in the end I have to say that she’s the most excitement we’ve had around here in a long time.”

“I’m sorry for that,” Aidan offered up apologetically knowing only too well he was trying to keep a low key during his assignment.

“Don’t be. She’s something else and I mean that in a good way,” the man nudged at Aidan’s ribs. “It’s a wonder that you’ve even seen the light of day because if I had a woman that sexy around me, well let’s just say that we’d be exhausted by the end of the night if you catch my drift.”

“Loud and clear,” Aidan wrinkled his nose at the man’s tone. “So what is it that you need?”

“Well one I was checking on you to see if the champagne was to your liking and to let you know if you need anything else, then all you have to do is just ask. We aim to please,” the man informed Aidan with a wide grin.

“Is that all?” Aidan frowned back at him knowing that Kendall’s arrival was about to prove to be a huge complication to the mission he was on.

“No, that’s not all,” the man fished into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, “I thought you might want to get a look at this since it’s got a list of the itinerary that you were asking about earlier.”

 

*******

Kendall craned her neck in the hopes of making out the words easier as she stood beside the window trying to get the details on what was going on with Aidan. While she’d retreated to the inside once again, the fact to the matter was that she was curious about the case Aidan had been working on. She’d gotten the gist of it when she’d been snooping around in the hopes of finding him, but at the same time she really hadn’t put much thought to it until now. It was clear that Aidan was distracted and perhaps if she could help him out with that distraction, then they could get back to why she’d flown all the way out from Pine Valley to see him. She leaned forward nearly knocking over a lamp in the process when she spotted Aidan returning to the door.

“Damn,” she cursed under her breath reaching for the lamp and putting it back up again before rushing across the room. She dropped down into one of the chairs and reached for a magazine that was on the coffee table before her. She started to flip through it lazily as Aidan entered the room closing the door behind him.

“Sorry about that,” Aidan spoke up with his thick accent, causing her to look up at him again despite the fact she’d tried to play it casual.

“It’s no problem. I was just reading anyways. There was a write up in here about Fusion that I was interested in and…” she waved her hand dismissively in an attempt to recover from her moment of spying.

“Gun and Ammo monthly?” Aidan arched a speculative brow. “That doesn’t exactly seem like your demographic for advertising.”

“You’d be surprised at how many facets we’ve reached,” she countered in a weak attempt to cover for him. “Besides there were other great reads in there. A girl can‘t really ever stop brushing up on knowledge.”

“I see,” he nodded as a hint of a smirk teased over the corners of his lips. “Now is it my turn to be concerned about the possibility of you with a firearm?”

“Oh this,” she wrinkled her nose at the random magazine she’d picked up before tossing it aside, “No, if I was out to get you, I’d do it in a more obvious fashion.”

“Gee, that’s comforting,” he couldn’t help but laugh before moving around the room.

“Look Aidan,” she stood up again, “I know that the timing might not be the best, but…”

“Kendall listen as much as I would like to continue this conversation, the fact to the matter is that I have to get to work. I’m on a case and I can’t ignore that. I’ve already put myself a few days behind by, well…I just need to get on something, so as much as I would like to stand around here and catch up on old times, the fact to the matter is that I need to get to work,” Aidan pushed past her in order to reach for his suitcase. He pulled it out and pushed it on top of the couch cushions without facing her.

“I realize that, which is why I’m here to offer my services,” Kendall explained brightly. “So where are we going to dinner tonight?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Aidan frowned turning around to face her again. “You’re going to the airport and finding your way back home to your family. I, on the other hand, have a job to do and if I don’t start getting on it, well, then there will be no reason for me to return to town.”

“Aidan, come on,” she replied with a scowl. “You and I both know that you’ll stick out like a sore thumb if you go to dinner alone tonight.”

“I will not,” he argued with her, a wrinkle creasing his brow. “It’s my job to be inconspicuous.”

“If you take a long look around Aidan, you’ll see that this place is a romantic retreat for couples,” she informed him while placing her hands on her hips. “Everyone that is here is doing it because it’s like Fantasy Island.”

“Fantasy Island?” he repeated giving her a long look.

“Yeah, you know that television show where people go to an island and they can have just about anything that they ever hoped for. Of course sometimes when they make a wish, it doesn’t turn out the way that they were hoping, but it’s always been a bit of an entertaining show that…” she stopped herself with a frown. “Never mind. That’s beside the point. The fact to the matter is that you won’t blend Aidan.”

“I happen to think that I blend very well,” he stated plainly.

“No, you don’t. You stick out like a sore thumb. Plus what will they think here if you show up without your wife?” she wiggled her brow suggestive. “Everyone here thinks that we’re together…”

“Only because you lied, which I’m still trying to figure out what prompted you to do that in the first place,” he admitted honestly before shaking his head. “I thought that we’d agreed that distance was good for us. Considering that we…”

“We don’t need to go there tonight especially now that you’ve got a job to do. You keep saying that I’m going to hinder your investigation, but you’re the one that is stalling. Obviously we’ve got dinner plans and you need to get ready if you’re going to blend in with the crowd tonight,” she explained after a moment of hesitation, “and I’m going to need to go shopping because I have nothing to wear. This is it for me and…”

“And you’re not going to dinner with me Kendall. It’s not happening,” Aidan folded his arms in front of his chest. “I have a job to do and tonight I’m not going to let you distract me from what it is that I came out here to do in the first place.”

“I’m not going to distract you. In fact, if you think about it, my being here is a good thing. If he’s such a ladies man like the file said he was…” she continued to ramble on with a newfound enthusiasm at the idea of doing something that was outside of the conflict she’d been carrying around with her.

“The file?” Aidan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Kendall, did you break into my office?”

“No,” she lied biting down on her lower lip. “I just did some investigating on my own and obviously I’m good because I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Unfortunately,” he groaned outwardly while bringing his fingers up through his dark hair.

“You don’t mean that,” she tossed back at him seeing the way his eyes met hers as a clear sign that she was right. Aidan didn’t mind her being around nearly as much as he’d pretended to.

“Look Kendall…” he started again in that same firm tone that was meant to dissuade her from following him around.

“Aidan, let’s face it,” she made a small movement towards him. “You’ll tell me don’t, which will make me want to do it more. You’ll then try to throw out some ridiculous reasoning as to why it’s too dangerous for me to assist you in your investigation and I’ll remind you that I can tackle danger head on…”

“What you should be tackling is finding a taxi to take you to the airport to your sons,” he pointed out with a scowl. “They need you right now Kendall and…”

“They are in good hands and I promise that when we are done with dinner that we can talk about what it is that I came here to say to you. Obviously we both need to eat and if we work and eat at the same time, then we’ll get more done with one another,” she suggested with a tiny grin. “You still have time to eat with an old friend, don’t you?”

“Kendall, you and I both know that the longer we spend time with one another, the more you stand to lose. I just don’t want to see you hurt because you felt compelled to…” he paused for a long moment, “What is it exactly that you’re here to do?”

“First I’m going to help you get the goods on the subject that you’re tailing in this case,” she informed him brightly, “and then we’ll work on the rest.”

“You’re not going Kendall. I’m not letting you tag along on this one,” he stood taller in protest.

“You don’t have a choice Aidan. Now, don’t fight me on this. I’m going to get something to wear and when I get back, I fully anticipate you being cleaned up and ready to go,” she explained feeling a newfound boldness take over her.

“I won’t be here when you return,” Aidan decided stubbornly. “You’ll just have to go back home and…”

“Aidan, if you even think about leaving me behind on this one, then I swear to you the scene I made earlier in the office will seem like small potatoes when everything is said and done.”

“Is that a threat?” he questioned giving her a long once over.

“No that’s a promise, but trust me this will be good for you. You take on too much on your own and it doesn’t hurt to have a partner in crime every now and then,” she teased with a tiny wink. “We used to be good at working together.”

“A lot of things were different back then Kendall. We’re not the same people anymore,” he sighed heavily.

“So what?” she shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe that’s a good thing because we’ve gained a new perspective on life that will help us with what’s ahead of the both of us.”

“And just what’s that?” he inquired unable to refrain from making a bold step towards her. Their eyes connected before he took in a slow, tentative breath.

“I honestly don’t know,” she revealed thinking about her true reasoning for seeking him out, “but we can get through this together, can’t we? I mean we haven’t fallen so far from where we once were that we can’t be civil for a little while.”

“You really shouldn’t be here,” he sighed clearly giving up on trying to talk her out of sticking around.

“There’s a lot of things that I shouldn’t have done in my life Aidan, but I have and now it’s time to start facing the consequences of those actions,” she explained feeling a tiny shiver build inside of her.

“I just don’t want you hurt as a result of facing those consequences Kendall. I never meant for that to happen,” he revealed with a painful expression causing Kendall to reach out and skim her fingers against his cheek tenderly. He closed his eyes leaning into the warmth as it was clear that he was effected by the simple connection that she’d initiated between them.

“You haven’t hurt me anymore than I’ve hurt myself Aidan,” she whispered arching up towards him. “I’m my own worst enemy and I’m working on changing that.”

“You have a good life Kendall and it’s worth fighting for,” he confessed with a soft, pleading tone.

“So do you Aidan. This running and hiding from all that you love isn’t going to help anything,” she replied honestly, her fingers tapering off into his dark hair with a movement that felt natural despite the situation. “Trust me on this one. I’m an expert on trying to hide it all in.”

“There aren’t always options,” he forced himself to reopen his eyes and meet her gaze once again.

“Sometimes life gives us options that we aren’t expecting or looking for,” she revealed with a sigh of her own. “Just when we think we’ve got it all figured out life goes and throws us a curveball.”

“More like a hurricane,” he couldn’t help but smile at her. Sensing her nearness, he couldn’t help but reach out to touch her shoulder, his hands longing to hold her again, but settling for the simple, chase touch. “Kendall, I just don’t want…”

“Shh,” she placed her index finger over his lips to silence him. “I’m going shopping and you’re going to get ready for tonight. We’ll talk about it then after you do what you need to do.”

“Kendall I just…” he began again desperately.

“Trust me Aidan. Everything will be alright,” she vowed wondering where her newfound optimism was coming from especially now that it was clear that things were far from being simple. She’d come to this place seeking out Aidan for some soul searching, but now more than anything she’d found herself anticipating the idea of simply helping her friend. Yes, it was clearly a way of sidetracking and ignoring the big issue at hand, but it was for a good cause. Even if it was purely motivated by her wanting to give herself more time to collect her thoughts. She hadn’t had time to read Aidan’s reactions to her arrival just yet, but if things went well, then she would tell him the truth. After they worked on his case tonight, she would find it in her to break the news to him. She would tell him tonight.

 


End file.
